| Holland's favourite hardworking darlings: Infadels |
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| "one of Maximo Park stumbled across us at one European festival where we were higher up the bill and being like 'who the hell are you?'" |
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CMU ALBUMS OF 2006: 'We Are Not Infadels'
released 30 Jan on Wall Of Sound
Now, for anyone who pays any attention whatsoever when reading the CMU Daily, the fact that Infadels are responsible for our first album of the year should come as no surprise whatsoever. We've been excited about these guys ever since they played the Xfm Remix Night aeons ago, and so the arrival of their debut album back in January got the CMU year off to a very good start. All that said, it was only when 'Love Like Semtex' was released as a single back in June that I actually realised just how much I loved this album. Prior to that I must admit much of my attention went to early single release 'Can't Get Enough' and 3 ad sampling 'Give Yourself To Me'. But then when the promo single of 'Love Like Semtex' arrived I was like "how did I manage to listen to the whole Infadels album without noticing that this is simply one of the best pop songs ever made?". It was a revelation that sent me back to the album, and it was then that I realised just how much I really loved every one of the eleven tracks that make up 'We Are Not The Infadels' - each offering the band's electro-rock crossover style in a different yet equally fulfilling fashion. It was also around about this time that I discovered that, despite my aforementioned love for 'Can't Get', 'Give Yourself' and 'Semtex', the track 'Girl That Speaks No Word' was in fact my overall favourite, which made for extra excitement when this got its own single release and the brilliant Braxe/Faulk remix landed on my desk. As you can see, I really really love Infadels. And I've managed to get 297 words into this mini-eulogy without mentioning the band's brilliant gigs - which is praise indeed given just how much good stuff is said elsewhere about the Infadels live show. Unfortunately, in my most humble opinion, not enough good stuff has been said about the Infadels album, however, mainly methinks because their music has been misrepresented by some in the music media, while it was hard for anyone to release a debut album in early 2007 when much of the popular press wouldn't talk to you about any new bands that didn't have the words 'arctic' and 'monkey' in their name. But with the live shows still building an ever growing loyal fanbase, and with an Autumn re-release of the album including a really fine live DVD, I'm hoping the more mainstream music fan will discover just how good, yet accessible, Infadels and 'We Are Not The Infadels' really are. Meantime, read our interview with the band's Richie Vermin and get yourself more familiar with the band behind CMU's first album of the year. |
“Infadels are an English electronic rock band from Hackney”. Not my words, but the opening line of the Wikipedia page dedicated to one of my most favourite bands of the moment – Infadels. The geography is spot on but what exactly is an ‘electronic rock band’, and is it a suitable tag to describe what these guys do? “People do find it difficult to label us,” the band’s Richie Vermin admits, “and we do a bit too. But we do probably use ‘electronic rock band’ more than anything else. I’m not sure it really means anything, but it is the one that seems to fit best”.
We’re debating the opening line of Infadels’ Wikipedia entry because, having interviewed Richie’s bandmate Matt Gooderson when the band’s album was first released less than a year ago, I’ve already asked the usual ‘how did it all begin’ questions so I thought I’d dedicate the start of this interview to some public service – checking if the ever diligent types who keep these unofficial Wikipedia biographies up to date had got everything right.
“The band have quickly established themselves as darlings of the UK live scene” the biog continues, and “the band's debut album ‘We Are Not the Infadels’, produced by Jagz Kooner, was released in January 2006”. The latter fact we know is true, the fact Infadels’ storming debut long player was released this year is one of the reasons we’re chatting in the first place - but how does Richie feel about the former suggestion? “Mmm” he ponders, seemingly a little amused with the idea of being a ‘darling of the UK live scene’. “Well, I don’t know about ‘quickly’” he concludes, and as someone who had been following this band for the best part of two years before their first album was finally unleashed, I know what he means.
To be fair, Wikipedia do add that “Infadels have built up a reputation as one of the hardest working bands in the industry on account of the fact that they are almost constantly on tour”, so they’re not completely implying it all happened overnight with very little effort. “We’ve been away more or less non stop since last October”, Richie adds, confirming that the gruelling live schedule that has been very much part of the Infadels thing has only increased since promotional work began on their Wall Of Sound released debut album.
“People often comment on how much touring we do”, Richie continues, “though to be honest I don’t really know what other bands do, so I don’t really know if we work harder than the rest or not. It certainly doesn’t feel like hard work, and I can’t believe it is compared to a normal job. I suppose you’re never at home – in fact we’ve probably spent a total of two or three weeks at home in the last year – but it’s never felt like a slog. And however much travelling you have to do, when you get on stage you still have the time of your life. You do sometimes read interviews with artists who complain about all the work associated with touring, but I think you have to remember what you’re doing compared to most other people. We really are thankful that we get to do this stuff”.
Of course for a band like Infadels, aside from the fact they clearly are genuinely in their element when they take to the stage, touring is also an opportunity to see how different audiences around the world are responding to their music. For reasons best known to the music gods, despite a dedicated native following for their live shows, and despite garnering not insignificant media interest, and despite producing one of the most uplifting and exciting and accessible new albums of 2006, Infadels still haven’t enjoyed the mainstream attention in the UK that they clearly deserve. But in other countries they have, and in particular in Holland.
“It’s mad going to Holland”, Richie notes, “because we really seemed to have struck a note with mainstream music fans there. Which means when we go to Holland we’re headlining festivals, and playing really big venues, and doing TV shows and stuff, which is a bit mad when you’re not so well known at home”.
“That said”, he adds, “in the last year, especially with the album out, you do slowly realise that you’re playing headline gigs in ever bigger venues, which is exciting. But that has grown slowly, it’s mad to then arrive in a strange country in your ramshackle van and find you’re playing in these big arena like venues to huge crowds. But that happens a lot, and you really notice it as you tour around the world, especially across Europe. We kept coming across Art Brut – they’re really big in Europe – and yet here at home they’re still establishing themselves. Sometimes we’d be higher up the bill at a European festival than some other British band who are much bigger than us at home. I remember one of Maximo Park stumbling across us at one European festival where we were higher up the bill and being like ‘who the hell are you?’”
Which is all very heartening when you’re such a big fan of a band who aren’t as big here as you think they damn well should be. And with Infadels ability to out-gig the best, let’s hope they can capitalise on their popularity around the world whilst the mainstream music fans of Britain catch up. Given Richie and co’s seeming willingness to tour all year round, do Infadels have the US in their sights? Because everyone knows the way to break America is through constant gigging all over the continent (or, rather, the way to not break America is to not be willing to do just that). “We’ve done a few gigs in the US, mainly New York and LA”, Richie says. “We don’t currently have a record deal in America, so that makes it difficult to go over there and do a full-on tour. But apparently some deal is being done, so who knows? It would be good to go over there properly. It’s such a big market, I suppose that’s why everyone wants to break it. It would definitely be good to have a go”.
Which brings us back, sort of, to Infadels on record, and that Wikipedia entry. “The band released two singles on their own record label, Dead At Thirty,” it says, “before awards for Best Live Act and Best Dance Band at the 2004 Diesel-U-Music Awards sealed a move to Wall of Sound”.
“That’s all true”, Richie confirms, “Except, Dead At Thirty was only really a ‘record label’ in the loosest sense of the word. We weren’t expert label bosses or anything, it was just a name to put on the singles we self-released really. Though we have thought about resurrecting it, perhaps for a couple of single releases, or something else, who knows?”.
“Their song, ‘Can't Get Enough/Murder That Sound’ was also used on the Sony Playstation game Gran Turismo 4”, Wikipedia continues “also, a remix of ‘Can't Get Enough’ appears on FIFA 07”.
“Yeah, that’s right”, Richie says, “though I’ve not seen FIFA 07 for myself, but I’m told it’s on there. Well, we’re doing a gig at the weekend for the FIFA people, so I guess it must be! Our label and publishers are good at pushing those kind of things, and when you’re an independent band they can really help. And it can be funny”, he continues, referring to use of the opening chords of ‘Give Yourself To Me’ on a big 3 ad campaign a couple of years back (a fact strangely missing from the Wikipedia entry), “when we first started out, people would come to our gigs clearly not knowing many of our songs, then they’d hear ‘Give Yourself To Me’ and be like ‘it’s the 3 man music!’ and really get into it”.
“A new, Jagz Kooner produced cut of ‘Can't Get Enough’ was released in January 2006 as the first single of debut album ‘We Are Not the Infadels’” Wikipedia adds. “Well, it was the second single really” Richie adds. “A second single, ‘Love Like Semtex’, was released in June 2006” it concludes. “And that was the third” Richie corrects. So ha, we found something wrong, this wasn’t a futile exercise after all, I can get on to the Wikipedia myself and correct the error. And while I’m there perhaps offer an insight into what’s next for the Infadels boys.
“We’re only just back from the tour really, but we’ve started work on a second album,” Richie informs me. “We’ve got three tracks nearly finished, and want to get going on the rest. I think we’ll do a lot more for this album in preparation. Last time we only had eleven songs, and those were the eleven that went on there, so there wasn’t much room for error. But I think this time we’ll play around a little more, try some different ideas”.
Given that I know the Infadels are quite hot on production type things themselves, are they planning on self-producing this time, or will Mr Jagz Kooner’s services be hired again? “We’ll see”, Richie says, “We’re really good friends with Jagz, so he’s always there at the other end of a phone if we need advice. But on the first album Jagz would admit it was a real collaborative affair, we were very much involved in the production side. We’ve built ourselves a studio in Hackney, so we’ll make a start on our own and see how it goes. I know the label have some producer ideas too, so we’ll see”.
Either way, I can’t wait to hear the first cuts from Infadels album number two. And in the meantime, I’ll continue to try and convert as many people as I can to the wonders that can be found on ‘We Are Not The Infadels’. Because on this occasion, ladies and gentlemen, the Dutch have got it right.
Richie from Infadels favourite artists of 2006:
“I love Dead Disco, they’re this great girl band, making great future pop songs. I hope they get an album out soon. And I have to say I really like Klaxons, their new single is brilliant".
Richie from Infadels New Year’s resolutions:
“To get down to the gym. To reset my body so I’m ready to put that four stone back on that seems to come with every tour”.
chris@unlimitedmedia.co.uk - published dec 2006
